UMass alum Victor Cruz battles for receiver’s spot with Giants

Credit: AP File

New York Giants wide receiver and UMass Amherst alum Victor Cruz catches a pass during training camp earlier this month in East Rutherford, N.J.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The cameras caught every bit of it, broadcasting Victor Cruz getting chewed out as he walked off the field after a play Monday night to millions.

Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride was angry that his second-year receiver didn’t get the "precise depth" that was expected on a route in the victory over the Chicago Bears.

"You know Coach Gilbride: If he doesn’t yell at you, that means he doesn’t love you," said Cruz, who added that his mom, Blanca, missed the scene because she attended the game. "When he’s yelling, you know he expects the best out of you."

Life has changed quite a bit for the Paterson, N.J., native and Lyndhurst resident since last preseason, when he lit up the Jets’ secondary for six catches three for touchdowns and 145 yards in his first professional game. The expectations including running "precise" routes have increased proportionally.

Cruz went from an unknown, undrafted free agent to the most exciting player in the NFL for a moment, celebrated by even Jets coach Rex Ryan after he torched them.

And Cruz, 24, faces the Jets again Monday night in the inaugural MetLife Bowl, a little older, a little wiser and with a little more pressure on him. He doesn’t want to be forever known as the guy who had one great preseason game.

"It’s a constant sense of urgency in not only what you think you’re supposed to do but how you are supposed to do it, how you’re supposed to adjust," coach Tom Coughlin said of Cruz’s route-running and play.

"The sense of urgency is huge right now," Cruz said. "Hopefully I can come up and fulfill my role."

What exactly that role is remains to be seen. Cruz (four catches for 50 yards in two preseason games) is competing with Domenik Hixon and others for the Giants No. 3 receiver’s job and the unenviable task of replacing the void left by Steve Smith.

In training camp and two preseason games, the Massachusetts alum has shown plenty of speed but also dropped his share of balls.

One of those difficult catches came Monday, when Cruz made a leaping reception for 21 yards on fourth down, helping to set up a Rhys Lloyd’s first-quarter field goal.

Maybe the biggest challenge Cruz faces is forging the same chemistry with quarterback Eli Manning that Smith had.

It’s just another obstacle for Cruz, who made a dazzling 64-yard touchdown catch against the Jets in his first professional snap despite "having butterflies in my stomach and ... not knowing the speed of the game."

"I was a little bit on eggshells last year because obviously being a free agent, you don’t know whether you’re going to make the team. Every day is like a struggle for you..." he said.

"But this year is a little bit more attention to detail ... (It’s) a different kind of eggshells. They don’t crack as hard."